A commentary by Paul Bishai about the power of the book's symbols.
Symbols
Character Representations
Winston
Winston, being the protagonist of 1984, is an important character to dabble with and understand. Winston would be the man who would best represent any reader who would be placed into the grizzly setting. Like any of us would, Winston both fears and despises Ingsoc. He often questions not only the government's methods, but also his own sanity. Of all the characters, Winston most accurately symbolizes the average person thrown into a new world because of the sheer amount of intimate thought that is read throughout the length of the novel. Orwell made this in order for the reader to better relate to Winston and his plight. And by Orwell's hopes, Winston's fate would better stir the readers' emotions because of their connection with the character. When Winston is caught, so too is the reader.
Julia
Julia, in her large part of the story and her role with Winston, represents a very simple theme, and that's civil unrest. Julia was created to represent the human, rebellious spirit. This is made clear through two things:
1) Unlike Winston, little is actually known about Julia's life or daily dealings aside from her working in the Fiction Department. This fact of her being a seemingly empty character is a hint by Orwell to see into what she represents instead of 'why' she represents it.
2) Throughout the novel, Winston and Julia often argue about Ingsoc and its control in general. While Winston thinks about possible, physical rebellion, the philosophies of the Brotherhood and Ingsoc, and how best to rationalize the world as it is, Julia has very little interest in solving anything. She does not care about the way things work nor how things became the way they were. Even her interest in the Brotherhood is incredibly limited.
The only thing that concerns Julia is being her own woman and metaphorically spitting in the face of Ingsoc by being promiscuous and breaking the laws of Oceania. However, she doesn't have a reason for this civil unrest. Julia, in all ways, only acts rebellious for the sake of being rebellious. Because of this, she represents human resistance, the rebellious spirit.
Big Brother
On every street and in every house, there is a poster of Big Brother, the alleged, never-seen leader of Ingsoc. Big Brother never speaks, and is never quoted. His personality is not known beyond his stolid face gazing down from the posters and telescreens all over Oceania.
Because of Big Brother's faceless personality, he has ironically become Ingsoc incarnate. Big Brother's visage represents the government as a whole, and because of its strong features and awe-inspiring gaze, it too represents both the fear and love felt by Oceania's citizens towards the government, and in turn, Big Brother.
In another sense, Big Brother also represents God, or at least the citizens of Oceania's image of him. Because religion had long been banned, Big Brother has been made to replace the image of God. Ingsoc claims him to be all-powerful, all-knowing, and ultimately infallible, never able to be triumphed over. This image of Big Brother is repeated over and over throughout the novel, and one would imagine that such a description seems terribly similar to that of God.
Goldstein/Brotherhood
Goldstein, the leader of the infamous Brotherhood, are, like Big Brother, never actually physically seen or described in the novel. Whereas Big Brother represents the government of Ingsoc, Goldstein and his Brotherhood both represent "Evil". If the previous theme is assumed, and Big Brother is seen as God, Goldstein would best be described as Satan, and his Brotherhood demons.
Throughout the novel, Goldstein and the Brotherhood are painted up as wicked and evil forces by Ingsoc. Like Satan, they are an enemy that never triumphs over Big Brother, yet is a wretched foe that will never truly be destroyed until Big Brother wills it.
The Brotherhood and Goldstein are necessary tools to Ingsoc. If any sort of resistance, or inner evil, did not exist in Ingsoc's world, then the citizens of Oceania would stop worrying about following Ingsoc. If there were no Hell, what would a person have to worry about not getting into Heaven? This deeply-ingrained theological point has strong parallels to Big Brother and Goldstein.
Objects
Telescreen
The telescreens, tools that resemble televisions seen in every home and in every area of cities in Oceania, simply represents one thing: Control.
While Big Brother best represents all that Ingsoc stands for, the telescreens are Ingsoc in action. The telescreens serve as the application of Ingsoc's rule. Ever-seeing, ever-hearing, ever-commanding, the telescreens put every citizen of Oceania under constant watch. And where there is aggressive observation, there is control.
Glass Paperweight
When Winston first purchases the paperweight, his first response to it is its beauty. Throughout the novel, Winston keeps the paperweight close, holding it with him at virtually all times. Only when Winston is captured is the paperweight stolen from him by the Thought Police and crushed.
These facts point to a strong theme. The Glass Paperweight represents Winston's definition of freedom. As long as he had the paperweight, he had a small bit of the past, and with it, freedom from Ingsoc. The paperweight is his own dream about a hopeful future for himself. But, when Winston is captured by the Thought Police, the paperweight shatters, just like his dream.
Allusions
Ingsoc
In Orwell's time, he had seen the worst of the Spanish Civil War, the reign of Hitler in Nazi Germany, and the high-point of Stalinism and the wide growth of Communism that, at the time, was seen as a good thing by much of the democratic world.
However, given Orwell's scathing hatred for all of the above as well as any form of totalitarianism, Orwell created Ingsoc as an allusion to all that represented communism, totalitarianism, and any of the other dictatorial rules of his time and near his time. By making Ingsoc a look into the future of these sort of states, Orwell hoped to warn the world of their existence.
Symbols
Character Representations
Winston
Winston, being the protagonist of 1984, is an important character to dabble with and understand. Winston would be the man who would best represent any reader who would be placed into the grizzly setting. Like any of us would, Winston both fears and despises Ingsoc. He often questions not only the government's methods, but also his own sanity. Of all the characters, Winston most accurately symbolizes the average person thrown into a new world because of the sheer amount of intimate thought that is read throughout the length of the novel. Orwell made this in order for the reader to better relate to Winston and his plight. And by Orwell's hopes, Winston's fate would better stir the readers' emotions because of their connection with the character. When Winston is caught, so too is the reader.Julia
Julia, in her large part of the story and her role with Winston, represents a very simple theme, and that's civil unrest. Julia was created to represent the human, rebellious spirit. This is made clear through two things:1) Unlike Winston, little is actually known about Julia's life or daily dealings aside from her working in the Fiction Department. This fact of her being a seemingly empty character is a hint by Orwell to see into what she represents instead of 'why' she represents it.
2) Throughout the novel, Winston and Julia often argue about Ingsoc and its control in general. While Winston thinks about possible, physical rebellion, the philosophies of the Brotherhood and Ingsoc, and how best to rationalize the world as it is, Julia has very little interest in solving anything. She does not care about the way things work nor how things became the way they were. Even her interest in the Brotherhood is incredibly limited.
The only thing that concerns Julia is being her own woman and metaphorically spitting in the face of Ingsoc by being promiscuous and breaking the laws of Oceania. However, she doesn't have a reason for this civil unrest. Julia, in all ways, only acts rebellious for the sake of being rebellious. Because of this, she represents human resistance, the rebellious spirit.
Big Brother
On every street and in every house, there is a poster of Big Brother, the alleged, never-seen leader of Ingsoc. Big Brother never speaks, and is never quoted. His personality is not known beyond his stolid face gazing down from the posters and telescreens all over Oceania.Because of Big Brother's faceless personality, he has ironically become Ingsoc incarnate. Big Brother's visage represents the government as a whole, and because of its strong features and awe-inspiring gaze, it too represents both the fear and love felt by Oceania's citizens towards the government, and in turn, Big Brother.
In another sense, Big Brother also represents God, or at least the citizens of Oceania's image of him. Because religion had long been banned, Big Brother has been made to replace the image of God. Ingsoc claims him to be all-powerful, all-knowing, and ultimately infallible, never able to be triumphed over. This image of Big Brother is repeated over and over throughout the novel, and one would imagine that such a description seems terribly similar to that of God.
Goldstein/Brotherhood
Goldstein, the leader of the infamous Brotherhood, are, like Big Brother, never actually physically seen or described in the novel. Whereas Big Brother represents the government of Ingsoc, Goldstein and his Brotherhood both represent "Evil". If the previous theme is assumed, and Big Brother is seen as God, Goldstein would best be described as Satan, and his Brotherhood demons.Throughout the novel, Goldstein and the Brotherhood are painted up as wicked and evil forces by Ingsoc. Like Satan, they are an enemy that never triumphs over Big Brother, yet is a wretched foe that will never truly be destroyed until Big Brother wills it.
The Brotherhood and Goldstein are necessary tools to Ingsoc. If any sort of resistance, or inner evil, did not exist in Ingsoc's world, then the citizens of Oceania would stop worrying about following Ingsoc. If there were no Hell, what would a person have to worry about not getting into Heaven? This deeply-ingrained theological point has strong parallels to Big Brother and Goldstein.
Objects
Telescreen
The telescreens, tools that resemble televisions seen in every home and in every area of cities in Oceania, simply represents one thing: Control.While Big Brother best represents all that Ingsoc stands for, the telescreens are Ingsoc in action. The telescreens serve as the application of Ingsoc's rule. Ever-seeing, ever-hearing, ever-commanding, the telescreens put every citizen of Oceania under constant watch. And where there is aggressive observation, there is control.
Glass Paperweight
When Winston first purchases the paperweight, his first response to it is its beauty. Throughout the novel, Winston keeps the paperweight close, holding it with him at virtually all times. Only when Winston is captured is the paperweight stolen from him by the Thought Police and crushed.These facts point to a strong theme. The Glass Paperweight represents Winston's definition of freedom. As long as he had the paperweight, he had a small bit of the past, and with it, freedom from Ingsoc. The paperweight is his own dream about a hopeful future for himself. But, when Winston is captured by the Thought Police, the paperweight shatters, just like his dream.
Allusions
Ingsoc
In Orwell's time, he had seen the worst of the Spanish Civil War, the reign of Hitler in Nazi Germany, and the high-point of Stalinism and the wide growth of Communism that, at the time, was seen as a good thing by much of the democratic world.However, given Orwell's scathing hatred for all of the above as well as any form of totalitarianism, Orwell created Ingsoc as an allusion to all that represented communism, totalitarianism, and any of the other dictatorial rules of his time and near his time. By making Ingsoc a look into the future of these sort of states, Orwell hoped to warn the world of their existence.